Come to the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living annual family picnic on Sat., July 12, 11-3 pm at 3941 Research Park Dr. All ages are welcome at no charge for an afternoon of food, entertainment and games. This nonprofit organization is dedicated to providing basic support and services to chidren and adults with disabilities. Enjoy the fun and meet the great people who make AACIL such an important organization in our community. For more information contact Mary Stack at 734-971-0277 x56 or mstack@aacil.org.

Art Walk

Now’s the time to join the Ann Arbor Art Walk! More than just an event this year, membership in Art Walk provides artists with a listing in a year-round guide to art and artists in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County as well as complimentary membership in Arts Alliance. Art Walk occurs this October 17 and 18 in locations throughout Ann Arbor and the surrounding area, and provides an opportunity to explore the area’s rich artistic talent. Many artists open their studios to the public for those two days only, and other organizations will hold parties and openings to celebrate the event. If you’re an artist in Washtenaw County, join the fun! There's still time--the membership deadline has been extended to July 8!

Aging can be a process of enrichment, but it often presents many challanges. We are fortunate to have several types of assistance for older adults available through Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County. A new 911 cell phone recycling program collects used cellular phones and refurbishes them to be given to seniors for use in emergencies and to victims of domestic violence. To learn more about these services and where to donate a used phone, call 734-712-3625.

tax refund

Have you received a government Economic Stimulus check yet? Did you know you have to file your 2007 income tax first in order to be eligible? You need to have had more than $3,000 in income from employment, Social Security retirement, Social Security Disability Income or a Veterans’ pension to qualify.

On July 9 from 9am to noon, free help filing your income tax will be offered at Turner Senior Resource Center. No appointment is necessary. You will need to bring your SSA-1099, 1099 forms and 1099R for pension or annuity income. Bringing a copy of your previous year’s income tax return is also helpful. For more information, call 998-9341.

AASF

Have you been to Top of the Park this year? If not, this week is a perfect opportunity to come on down and support the Ann Arbor Summer Festival!

This week's entertainment includes performances from The Dream Engine (Wednesday -Saturday this week only), enchanting aerialist performers that suspend themselves from a larger-than-life helium balloon, wonderful musical performances, and an ecclectic collaboration of movies at dusk for all to enjoy...and it's all for free!!!

You can view the entertainment schedule at the Festival Website.

Top of the Park is located at Ingalls Mall, directly in front of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies on Washington Street near the Burton Memorial Tower.

The Festival runs till July 6th, so come prepared to dance, sing along and have a good time!

lightning

When the weather turns blustery and sometimes severe, do you know what to do to protect yourself? Learn more about storms and what to do in storm-related emergencies by going to the Washtenaw County MSU Extension web site’s Emergency Management page. Their Natural Disaster information includes a Disaster Response notebook with advice on what to do as soon as the power goes out after a storm, the safe use of dry ice, maintaining an emergency food supply and more. Don't forget to check AADL's favorite weather sites for more weather related information. The next time the sky turns dark and raindrops begin to fall you'll know what to do if the weather becomes severe.

You can still join Community Farm of Ann Arbor and get plenty of fresh, local food this growing season. There is even a kitchen tied to the farm. Need more green ideas? Check out the new book Go Green, Live Rich: 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth and Get Rich Trying.

shoes

Until June 28 you can drop off GENTLY USED shoes to any of Running Fits' seven southeast Michigan locations. The shoes will then be shipped to Soles4Souls, a nonprofit that distributes to more than 40 countries. Two UofM graduates started this used-shoe drive. Wearing shoes can help prevent hookworm, which is a parasite that enters through the foot. For more information visit www.runningfit or Soles4Souls.

Google Maps

Type in an address in Ann Arbor in Google Maps and you can now see the Street View.

Street View gives you a photographic view of the street and allows you to move up and down the block and to pan to the right or left and to zoom in on houses or businesses or pedestrians. The gas station at Packard and Stadium has gas for sale for $2.89/gallon so the drive-by must have been a while ago. It was garbage day at my house. You can see the garbage bin, the recycle bins, and the compost bin in front of the house. The addresses on streets are approximate so you may have to move up or down the block to find the address you are seeking.

Arbor Update has a blog about Street View. Trying to sleuth the exact date/dates seems to be one of the pleasures for users. Some areas appear to have been covered on a football Saturday.

Take a look. Interesting and fun. The Michigan Theater was showing Born into Brothels. You cannot quite read the menu posted outside Zanzibar. The Y is still standing across from the Downtown Library.

Paul Outerbridge

"Art is life seen through man's inner craving for perfection and beauty--his escape from the sordid realities of life into a world of his imagining... To the artist is given the privilege of pointing the way and inspiring towards a better life." --Paul Outerbridge (1896-1958).

Paul Outerbridge: Color Photographs from Mexico and California, the 1950s, the current exhibition at the University of Michigan Museum of Art, is organized around Outerbridge's photographs of small towns along California’s coastline and Mexico’s Baja peninsula, showcasing "his virtuosic use of form, color and atmosphere from vernacular".
An opening lecture "In Praise of Shadows" by Brendan Fay, of Harvard University Art Museums and an alumnus of UM, will situate the work of Paul Outerbridge in the larger context of experiments with color photography at midcentury, on Friday, June 13, 5 p.m., 4448 East Hall, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor. The event is free and open to the public.